ramblings about food, travel & life

Who Needs Take Out? Easy Lo Mein

Sorry I didn’t post last week. Midterms? Procrastination? Excuses? Yes, I have all of those things.

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So, I started having cravings for takeout Chinese food. And like any person with such a craving, I suppressed my desires to call Satay Club and instead and took to Pinterest, where I found a recipe for Lo Mein that was actually perfect. Full of veggies, tasty sweet and spicy sauce, and a million options for variation. I have a couple eggs in there for protein, but cubing tofu or adding meat would work too (I admit I really have no clue how to cook meat, so you’re on your own with that.)

Start off by putting on the water for pasta. When it reaches a boil, add the pasta and cook until soft (8-10 minutes depending on shape)

Like with everything, I recommend to prep all your vegetables first. Don’t fall into the trap of doing it as you go because your onions or garlic might burn as you try to get the carrots into pleasing shapes. (That may have happened to me).

Using up those leftover veggies

Kale is beautiful. I just started cooking with it, and it’s a whole new world.

In a large skillet, heat the oil on medium heat. Add onions, garlic, and carrots, and cook until onions are becoming translucent. Stir to distribute oil and heat.

While that’s cooking, mix the soy sauce, vinegar, water, sugar, pepper, and ginger in a measuring cup or small bowl.

Add the rest of the vegetables, stirring until the greens wilt down, but not until they shrivel. No one wants that.

Push the veggies to one side of the pot and crack the eggs in. Scramble with a fork and mix in with the vegetables before they cook through fully. Use a rubber scraper to get whatever’s stuck to the bottom.

My vegetables are mysterious

The pasta will probably be done by now. When it is done, drain it and rinse with cold water. Let it sit if the vegetables aren’t ready yet. When the veggies are ready, pour the noodles into the veggies, and add the sauces, stirring to distribute.

Let the mixture cook, thickening the sauce as the water boils of (because there’s not much and the pan is pretty hot). When there’s no liquid at the bottom as you stir, turn off the heat.

Put some in your bowl and bust out the chopsticks. Or fork. I’m not here to judge.

Also, I found that putting leftovers in a box and eating them cold the next day just like you would with takeout really elevates the experience.

It’s not that I haven’t been cooking– I have. A lot. It’s just been busy so posting doesn’t always happen. See you next week!